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Golden League in Rome

Chebii takes two famous Ethiopian scalps in Rome

Yamile Aldamas 15.29m Triple
Jump, Hicham El Guerrouj under 3:30 in the 1500m, and the vanquishing of the
famous Ethiopian duo Bekele and Gebrselassie at 5km, were the highlights of the
action at the Peroni Golden Gala - the third of this season’s IAAF Golden
League meets - in Rome’s Stadio Olympico, as both remaining Golden League
Jackpot contenders won through easily.

Golden Duo both win

Two women began tonight still on the trail of gold in the six meet Golden
League, the Olympic and World 800m champion Maria Mutola, and the previously
far less renowned sprinter Chandra Sturrup.

However, if anyone believed the pressure of her new found world status would
effect Sturrup, they were proved mistaken tonight as the 31 year-old sprinter
from the Bahamas remained firmly on track to win the $1million Golden League
Jackpot.

By 30 metres of the women’s 100m, Sturrup in lane five had already cut
a marginal lead over the Americans outside her, US champion Kelli White (lane
4) and Torri Edwards (lane 6). She was never to be headed again, and with a
determined drive to the line she established a world season’s lead of
10.89. White bettered 12 seconds too (10.99), and Edwards finished in a 11.05
PB. Edwards was also to set another personal best later when winning the 200m
in 22.28, ahead of Bahamas’ Debbie Ferguson (22.65), and White 22.71.

In yesterday’s press conference Sturrup had said she had continued to
train for the 100m as if Marion Jones was still running this season, but by
what we witnessed tonight even the triple Olympic champion would have had
problems coping with Sturrup.

Mutola left nothing to chance in her quest for at least a share of the gold,
with a well timed last 100m sprint in the women’s 800m which saw her
breeze past all but Jolanda Ceplak with ease with 80 to go, but inevitably took
the Slovenian World Indoor record holder with just 30 metres to the finish. The
Mozambique star broke the tape with 1:57.21, a meeting record, drawing Ceplak
with her to a 1:57.44 season’s best, with Morocco’s Mina Ait Hammou
in third in a personal best (1:57.82).

The quality of the race was re-emphasised as Stephanie Graf finished in a
season’s best of 1:57.99 in fourth, and both Germany’s Claudia
Gesell (1:58.93 season’s best) and Australia’s Tamsyn Lewis
(1:59.88) were also under two minutes.

Aldama - Area Record

World Indoor champion Tyree Washington had been the first athlete to get
Rome’s 30,000 crowd excited with a 44.42 clocking in the men‘s
400m, in which he trounced the opposition in fine style and put himself on the
favourites list for Paris.

In the women’s Triple Jump, Cuba’s Yamile Aldama played the same
upbeat role model for the Rome crowd with a world season’s lead of 15.29m
which came in the final round. This Central American record was enough to get
the Rome crowd off their seats in noisy appreciation. World champion Tatyana
Lebedeva who had beaten the Cuban in Paris last week was always behind during
the competition, finishing second with a best of 14.86m from the fourth round,
which was already less than Aldama’s 14.90m third round lead.

Chebii takes upset win

Excitement was there aplenty in the men’s 5000m, in which the
predicted duel between Ethiopia’s distance running royal family Haile
Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele was upstaged by the Kenyan interloper Abraham
Chebii.

Running through 3000m in 7:45.60, all the major players were part of a small
leading pack, with Bekele and Gebrselassie taking turns at the front. The World
record holder Gebrselassie took them into the final 400m (bell 12:03) but on
the top of the last bend he turned to beckon Bekele through, seemingly
admitting that he did not have what it would take to win the final sprint.

It was a grand abdicating gesture from the former Emperor, however all did
not go as planned for the Ethiopian duo because while Bekele proceeded through,
he was immediately challenged by Chebii who passed the cross country ace with
50 metres to go and blazed throught he finish in 12:57.14, with Bekele second
12:57.34, and Gebrselassie third in 13:00.32.

Just four months after Kenya’s darkest day, as Bekele strode home
effortlessly to his second World Cross Country double in Lausanne, they have
found an answer to the Ethiopian distance dynasty, and it is clear that Paris
next month will be no automatic World championship party for Bekele. Its now
obvious that Chebiis victory over Gebrselassie in Paris last week was no fluke,
this is a man here to stay, and Kenya is back in the long distance driving
seat.

El Guerrouj sub 3:30

Hicham El Guerrouj won the men’s 1500m in fine style but it was in
reality a paced time trial, as no one except the designated pace makers came
within 10 metres of the Moroccan triple World champion. Not that that should
detract from a fine run, which produced the 29th sub 3:30 clocking of his
illustrious career.

Passing the bell in 2:33, El Guerrouj put on the style of old and drove hard
to the finish with only Benjamin Kipkirui (second in a season’s best of
3:32.59) even vaguely offering a threat down the back straight. El
Guerrouj’s winning time was of course a world season’s lead –
3:29.76.

In a classy women’s 1500m, there was a bump for World 5000m champion
Olga Yegorova on the final bend which sent her shooting momentarily on to the
infield but nothing was going to stop her from recording a season’s debut
win at the distance in a world leading 4:01.00. The Russian had previously only
won the European Cup 3000m this summer.

Tonight Yegorova was followed home strongly by Spain’s Natalia
Rodriguez in a personal best of 4:01.30, clear of two other women who also
ducked under 4:02 – Suzy Favor-Hamilton 4:01.69 and Kelly Holmes 4:01.96.
It was a high quality race in which 18 runners went under 4:09, with the
race’s tail end was brought home by Algeria’s Olympic champion
Nouria Benida-Merah in 4:08.44 (18th and last), a season’s best.

Defar defies Szabo

Gabriela Szabo who had taken the 3000m in Paris last Friday with a defeat
defying late charge from no where, left her final move even later in
tonight’s 5000m. The Romanian Olympic 5000m champion had not calculated
on the finishing power of double World junior champion Meseret Defar of
Ethiopia, who clocked a personal best and meeting record in 14:40.34. Never
coming into real striking range was Szabo in second 14:41.35, with
Ethiopia’s Ejegayehnu Dibaba in third 14:41.67 PB.

In all, nine women went under 15 minutes but most surprising of all both the
Ethiopians, World Indoor 3000m champion Berhane Adere (14:42.89) and World
cross country champion Werknesh Kidane (14:44.40) were left for speed in sixth
and seventh places respectively.

Sanchez and Johnson supreme

Felix Sanchez, the World champion from the Dominican Republic was in his
normal majestic form in the men’s 400m Hurdles taking the win in 48.15
seconds. However, he would have been surprised that coming into the final 100m
he was still headed by USA’s young Bershaw Jackson in lane nine
(ultimately fourth 48.62). Of course, it didn’t take long before Sanchez
was ahead, and though he came off the penultimate hurdle a little shakely the
win was safely in his hands. Second was South Africa’s Llewellyn Herbert
(season’s best 48.50) split in the photo with Britain’s Chris
Rawlinson, who was third also on the same time.

Allen Johnson got his pre-race wish which he made at yesterday’s press
conference, and won the 110m Hurdles in a time under 13.10. However, the World
outdoor and Indoor champion at the High Hurdles cut it very fine with a 13.08
race which he dominated from the gun. Chasing the American through to the line
was World Junior record holder Xiang Liu of China (13.20), with Duane Ross
beating the rest of the nine man final to the final podium spot (13.24).

The men’s 100m dash was taken in a very close finish by USA’s
John Capel running in lane 2 (10.04), with a blanket finish for second between
US champion Bernard Williams (10.06), World champion Maurice Greene (10.09),
and Dwain Chambers the European record holder (10.09). There is very little to
choose between the world’s sprinting elite this year, with no one
remaining dominant for more than a race or two, which will provide us with
certainly one of most intriguing World Championships conundrums next month.

Bernard Williams was later to much more than make good for his defeat, as in
the final track event of the night he took the 200m in a marvellous personal
best and world season’s lead of 20.01. The finish with fellow American
Shawn Crawford could not have been closer, as the 2001 World Indoor champion
only missed the win by one 100th of a second, a season’s best.

The surprise 800m winner in the first Golden League in Oslo was the South
African Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, and again he pulled off another confident win with
1:44.00, ahead of compatriot Hezekiel Sepeng. The world season’s leader
Wilfred Bungei and 2001 World silver medallist, who had been the victim of the
South African in Oslo was back in fourth (1:44.66). Dutchman Bram Som was third
1:44.40, and World champion Andre Bucher (SUI)seventh (1:44.81).

Pittman improves to 53.62

Australias Jana Pittman who had already held the world season’s lead
(53.76) in the women’s 400m Hurdles improved to 53.62, to beat her
vanquisher in Paris, Sandra Glover (third 54.15 season’s best) and double
European champion Ionela Tirlea (fourth 55.53). It was a fine race but Pittman
staggered coming off the final barrier and looked tired. In second place
reaffirming her growing status after her second place in Zagreb (54.32 PB)
during the week, was Britain’s Natasha Danvers who set another personal
best of 54.02.

High Jump and Pole Vault world leads

World champion South Africa’s Hestrie Cloete was in good shape going
over 2.00m in the women’s High Jump for the second time this week (won in
Zagreb on Monday) and summer. In doing so she beat most of the world’s
elite including Olympic champion Yelena Yelesina (1.97 4th =), Inga Babakova
(1.97 5th=) , Anna Chicherova (1.97 7th=) and a very much off form Kajsa
Bergqvist (1.94 11th). Ukraine’s Vita Palamar was second and Amy Acuff
third, both on 1.97 but separated on count back. Cloete’s series of jumps
were clean and clear with first time attempts at all her five heights until she
met her match at 2.03.

The mens High Jump was an even better competition won in a worlds seasons
lead by South Africas Jacques Freitag who jumped 2.35 to defeat Canadas Mark
Boswell (2.31 seasons best), with a national record for Jamaicas Jermaine Mason
in third (2.31m). The most amazing aspect of Frietags jumping tonight is that
he is on the road back from a broken ankle sustained last year. The 21 year-old
South African has a personal best of 2.37 from 2002.

Such was the quality of tonights meet that the mens Pole Vault which kept
the 100m start end of the stadium entertained throughout with loud applause in
response, garnered a world seasons lead as well, as Frances Romain Mesnil
vaulted 5.92m on his first attempt. Audaciously he even had a try at 6.00m
before retiring.

It was a stirring competition made all the better by an Italian record for
Giuseppe Gibilisco (5.82) and a seasons best by Olympic champion Nick Hysong
(5.77).

The 25 year-old Mesnil who won the European Cup in Florence in June will
celebrate his birthday in two days time, and must be on course this season to
beat his personal best of 5.93m which he set in 1999.

2002 Commonwealth, and recently crowned CAC Games champion Elva Goulbourne
of Jamaica took the women’s Long Jump with a third round 6.71m leap,
which took the lead from Tatyana Kotova’s 6.63m, with the Russian’s
mark ultimately good enough for second.

A disappointing men’s javelin was won by Russia Sergey Makarov with a
84.74m best, with triple World and Olympic champion Jan Zelezny out of sorts
with just 81.52 in fourth.